Review: Die Young by Morgan Shank
Blurb:
Magon Dross graduated his mage school, the Tower, with flying colors. Then his old schoolmaster burned his runebook and stole his magic. Now the Tower wants him dead.
To spare himself, his family, and his people from danger, Magon must find help and answers. His country is on the brink of war, and a school of rogue mages could topple everything.
Powerless and on the run, he'll find help through his childhood friend, his estranged sister, a tribal exile, a violent priest, and the daughter of King Terrus, Freytilia's most hated man. This makes for a precarious alliance, but it must hold.
The Tower's pursuit spreads collateral damage, and as war approaches, it grows apparent that if the Tower isn't stopped, every country will fall.
Review:
Morgan Shank has been on my radar for a while, and I was planning on reading his Low Country trilogy sometime this year. When I saw his post looking for ARC readers, I jumped on the opportunity because— 1) this is book 1 of a new trilogy, and 2) that cover looks dope.
I’m happy to report that the ARC was not at all what I expected, instead delivering a character-driven dark fantasy in a complex, visually realized world.
I’ll admit, the first few chapters took me a while to get into. Maybe it’s Magon’s POV that didn’t click with me, or maybe it’s the complex setting that we’re dumped into with no explanation, it needed some getting used to. Only when I read the mention of “Low Country” did I realise this is set in the same world as Shank’s earlier books. Makes me wonder if reading those first would make this read more rewarding.
What I Liked:
Once I got over that initial learning curve, I was deeply immersed in the landscapes of Freytilia. I read on the author’s website that he is a landscape photographer, and it shows in the way he describes his world. And Shank does not limit his creativity to the landscapes alone, instead building on his diverse set of magic systems and the cultures that are fully realized. This is especially true for the second half in the Lhorian Isles, where we see the UIvan culture come alive; the way Shanks ties this to the original conflict to set up the finale was so satisfying! Like seeing puzzle pieces fit together.
Coming to one of the highlights of the novel—the characters. Each has a distinct voice that helps differentiate the POVs easily. Itula was by far my favorite POV. Right from her opening scenes, to slowly discovering her identity and past, Itula’s entire arc was fascinating. I genuinely felt anxious for her when—SPOILERS—she left Denton alone in the inn to investigate and hunt down their pursuers. The use of stealth, instincts and shaman magic in that scene had me at the edge of my seat, rooting for her success. Her ending—I won’t spoil it—was fitting, given her backstory and character, and if there’s one character I am most eager to read more of, it’s Itula.
The rest of the cast—except Magon and Kellus; I’ll get to them later—was almost as good. Be it Oath’s unique perspective, Seneka’s angst and struggle to find a purpose, Joska’s constantly composed demeanor, or even Denton’s coping with his situation, everything fits near-perfectly within the story Shank is telling. Elthren is one character that I found extremely dull in the beginning, and ended up loving by the end. Imagine being self-aware of the pawn-like position you hold in this massive game of chess, and promoting yourself to a queen in the endgame. Okay, that might not be the most accurate description, but that’s how I see Elthren’s arc playing out in the subsequent entries. Brilliant character work!
Lastly, the magic and the action scenes. Everything flows like a carefully crafted set piece, blending physical attacks with the arcane to simulate some of the most visually striking scenes I’ve read this year. And this gets epitomized in the finale, where all plots are resolved satisfactorily, some in ways you’d expect, others that are bittersweet but apt. Everything that’s set up gets paid off, with just enough of a tease for sequels that makes you want to keep reading without taking away from the resolutions you’ve just received.
What I Didn’t Like:
Magon and Kellus. I really did not like these two characters, and strongly feel the book would have been much more enjoyable without them.
Magon’s arc in theory is very compelling. But his motivations seemed insufficiently set up. He embarks on a journey for vengeance without really having concrete confirmation about what really happened to him. When—SPOILERS—in the end his suspicions are confirmed, I felt disappointed. I would’ve loved seeing Magon proved wrong, forced to deal with the consequences of his actions; I trust Shank to make gold of such character moments. Instead, we get Magon’s suspicions realized in their entirety. The arc itself is great, but I couldn’t get it out of my head that Magon never really confirmed anything before swearing vengeance. A simple conversation between him and the Hound could have resolved this plot hole.
Kellus was just a weak and passive character. I understand why Shank included him, but somewhere down the line, Kellus’ inclusion seemed to hamper the book more than expand on its diverse cast. You would expect such a character to assert their entitlement and ruin the protagonists’ plans, but Kellus ended up helping the protagonist in a plot-convenience sort of way.
Lastly, the plot convenience. Around the 40-45% mark, all the storylines converge into this grand royal court scene. This is mostly driven by Magon’s actions, which somehow don’t get the consequences they deserve. The king miraculously just agrees with Magon, even going the lengths to support Magon’s crusade against the Tower. This to me was the weakest part of the book, where everything fell into place without any effort. It was an unearned resolution that felt rushed through so we could get to the next part faster.
I could say the same for Frost, but at least Magon reflected on Frost’s motivations and plans, which made them more believable.
Conclusion:
Die Young’s cover makes it feel like a badass action-packed adventure. And it is. But what really shines in this book is the character work and the world-building. This is just book 1 of a trilogy, and I eagerly look forward to what the characters are going to face next, and how they will deal with the oncoming conflicts with the Tower and the inevitable political storm.
TL;DR:
WHAT I LIKED: The characters (especially Itula), world-building, visually stunning descriptions.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: Magon, Kellus, and one major scene with plot convenience.
